Lover's Symphony
by Ravenous-Seduction
Summary: Castiel Novak is an aspiring musician well on his way to being an orchestra teacher. At one of his practices, a string on his violin breaks. At the music store, the one who fixes his violin is Dean Winchester. Little did Castiel know that this trip would change his life.
1. Chapter 1

_**WARNING: Major Character**_ **_Death_**

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_**A/N: Hey guys, so this is my first fic that I've ever written. If you read through it, please give me positive feedback and/or constructive criticism so that I know what to keep or fix when (or if) I write a new one. Thanks!**_

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Castiel glances over at the calendar on his wall. Thursday, March 5, 2012. "_There's only a week left until the university's orchestra concert, and I'm behind on my practicing,_" he thought to himself. The violin is one of the key components to the performance, and it's not an easy instrument to play if you don't work at it. He traverses from the kitchen across the shoddy one-bedroom home into his bedroom to retrieve his violin and music. He begins work on Mendelssohn's Piano Trio Op. 49 in D Minor. He's only in that one piece for the concert, but he's the solo violinist among a cellist and pianist. While practicing, a knock sounds from the door.

"Coming!" Castiel exclaims. He sets his violin down and makes way towards the door. He twists the knob and opens the door.

"Hey, Charlie, what are you doing here?" Castiel asks her. He didn't expect anyone over today.

"Hey! Sorry I didn't call, my phone battery gave up on me," Charlie answers, "but I stopped by to see if we could practice together?"

Charlie Bradbury is Castiel's best friend, as well as being the cellist for the trio. She carries her cello in the car with her everywhere she went, and only takes it out when we returned home or was in the mood to play. Of course, she also has a habit of making plans that the other person is usually unaware of.

"Perfect timing," Castiel replies. "I was just getting started. Do you have Alessa with you?"

"She's right here!" Charlie pulls her cello from the wall where it was leaning. She had the quirky idea of having the trio name their instruments when they were assigned the piece for the concert. Castiel's violin is called Alexei; Ruby calls her keyboard Aladrin, though the grand piano she uses for concerts is called Colossus.

"So, Castiel, I was hearing you play while walking up here and I couldn't help but notice that Alexei's slightly out of tune…"

"Yeah, I know," Castiel admits embarrassingly. "Though I believe I can play well, I have never been able to tune it perfectly."

"Let me have a look at it. I'll see what I can do."

"Knock yourself out."

Castiel hands his violin over to Charlie. She flips her red hair behind her neck and begins to tweak around with the tuning. "_In the meantime_," Castiel thought_, _"_it would be nice to prepare some snacks. Some mini peanut butter and jelly sandwiches shouldn't be too much of a hassle now._" He is getting the strawberry jam out of the fridge when he hears a loud snap, followed by a horribly pitched twang.

"Shit!" Charlie yells from the living room. Castiel rushes in to see what happen.

"What the—"

"Oh my God, Castiel, I am SO sorry," Charlie panics. "I was just trying to tune your violin, and my fingers slipped on one of the pegs, and it turned too hard, and the string just snapped, and I am so sorry… please don't be mad at me!"

"Alright alright, calm down, Charlie. It was an accident."

"I know, but I still feel really bad! I knew how much Alexei meant to you…"

Of course, she was right. That violin was gifted to Castiel by his mother when he was seven years old, a year before she died. It's the only thing he has left of her memory, and he's kept up on it all these years to make sure it never fell out of excellent condition.

"WAIT! I have an idea!" Charlie exclaims. "I know this music shop about fifteen minutes from here. There's a guy there who does a really good job on stringed instruments. I mean, he mostly works on guitars, but still. A violin should be no problem for him. He also has really good prices."

"Alright," Castiel sighs. "I'll go right now. You can stay here and practice if you want; I have the sheet music over there on my stand. It has all three instrument lines on it. Can you write down the address for me?"

"Yeah, you got a pen and paper?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Castiel walks over to his computer desk and grabs a piece of printer paper and a red pen. He returns to Charlie and hands the items over, watching her scribble an address down. It seems unfamiliar. "_Must be somewhere in downtown Columbus._"

"His name is Dean," Charlie notes. "About yay-high, built, brown hair. Tell him I said hi!"

"Will do. But Charlie?"

Charlie looks up. "Yeah?"

"You're paying me back," Castiel says with a little laugh. "Just saying."

Charlie looks away in guilt. "Yessir," she remarks.

Castiel grabs his keys and walks out the door. "_Today hasn't exactly gone how I expected, but it was nice to have some form of social interaction._" With both work and school going on, he hasn't had much time to catch up with his friends; or, at least, the few friends he has. He only really talks to Charlie and Ruby. As he gets in his '02 Pontiac Grand Am, he smiles to himself. He does enjoy his life, even if it's a little more meager than some.

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_**A/N: I know it starts off kinda slow, but I meant for this chapter to be more of a character introduction. Actual plot starts next chapter!**_


	2. Chapter 2

12:54pm. That's what the digital clock reads, at least. Dean gets up from his stool to get a cup of coffee. He still has seven more hours of this shit to go before he can get off work. He loves his job working at Musician's Cave Music Store, but working 60 freaking hours Monday through Friday can be exhausting sometimes. The store doesn't get too much business from music sales and tunings; most of the income comes from lessons, which isn't in his expertise. Dean loved to play guitar ever since he was a kid, he just doesn't think he would be able to teach someone. He doesn't exactly have the patience. Instead, he runs the sales desk and does the tunings when someone brings in a guitar or bass.

Dean returns to his seat at the desk with his cup of coffee and sighs. He hates sitting around and doing nothing.

"Hey boss, you want me to do anything?" he yelled across the store. No reply. "Raphael?" He yelled a little louder.

"What do you want, Dean?!" a voice erupts from the back room. Raphael must be on his man-period, Dean believes. "Can't you see I'm busy giving a lesson? Piano doesn't teach itself, y'know! Go organize the sheet music in the viola section or something!"

"Alright, alright!" Dean yells back. "Dick," he whispers under his breath, making sure Raphael doesn't hear him. Dean walks over to a viola music section and opens the cabinet. "_Oh, look, they're already in order. Back to sitting, it seems._"

Dean is about to sit down when a man walks into the store. He doesn't look over twenty years old, with messy, dark brown hair and a distinct five-o'-clock shadow. His attire seems rather strange: a semi-formal shirt with a hastily-added tie, dressy pants, and a beige-colored trench coat. But what really caught Dean's attention were this man's eyes. These bright blue eyes that seemed capable of piercing steel just shone in the lighting of the store. "_What's so interesting about this man?_" Dean thinks to himself.

The man walks over to Dean at the desk, holding a violin. One of the strings is completely snapped. "_Strange…_" He didn't notice that before, though it had clearly been in his hand the entire time.

"Hello, welcome to Musician's Cave. Can I assist you?" Dean greets with the same robotic saying he's been using for the past year for anyone he doesn't recognize.

"Yes," the man replies. "I'm looking for a Dean."

"Well," Dean smiles. "I'm charmed to find someone actually looking for me. What can I help you with?"

The man seems to be lost in thought for a second, just staring at Dean all over. "I… uh…" he begins, but can't seem to finish.

"Slow down, hotshot, don't go straining yourself now." Dean's curiosity is piqued now. "_Is this guy checking me out or something?_"

"Oh, sorry," the man finally says. "My friend Charlie Bradbury said she knows you."

Dean's smile widens a bit more. "Yeah, Charlie, I know her. She comes in every now and then to get cello music. She's a real beauty, I tell ya."

The man chuckles to himself a little. "I'm sure she'll be flattered at the comment, but you lack a certain something… a hole in between the legs, to be specific."

Dean's face twists in confusion. "_That wasn't exactly what I was expecting to hear today. Oh well, it's cool. It's not the first lesbian I've met before, and I ain't ever had a problem with them._" Dean finally speaks up, "Alrighty then… well what can I do for you today, sir?"

"Please, call me Castiel. Anyways, I am here to see if I can get this string on my violin fixed, as well as a tuning. Charlie tried to do so herself, and, well… you see how that turned out."

"Seems just like her," Dean laughs. "And Castiel… jeezus that's a mouthful. Can I just call you Cas?"

"Um… sure," Cas replies. "No one's ever called me that before, but it doesn't bother me."

"Cool. Now, let me see what I can do."

Dean takes the violin over to the string counter, while Cas follows him. He locates the box of violin strings, sits down, and begins to remove the broken string from the scroll. "_This man, Cas… there's something about him that I can't quite put my finger on._ _I want to know more about this blue-eyed stranger._"

"So," Dean begins, "Cas. What do you do for a living?"

"Well, I am currently going to school to become an orchestra director. However, in the meantime I work as a waiter in a fancy restaurant here downtown; Bela's Bistro, specifically."

Dean starts tying the new string onto the scroll. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever been there. I might have to check it out sometime. Do you live here downtown?"

"No, but I don't live very far out. Charlie said it would take me fifteen minutes to get here, but it only took me five. I think she forgot she was at my house when she told me about this place."

"Yeah, well, traffic's normally a bitch around here." Dean works on tuning the strings. "You came at just the right time of day, when just about everyone's working."

Cas smiles. "Yeah, I'm glad I did…" He stares at Dean's face for a second before scanning down his torso. He flicks his eyes back to meet Dean's gaze, who stopped working for a moment to notice Cas' behavior. Dean smirks, raises his eyebrows a bit, and continues his work.

The final touches on the violin are made in silence. Dean tests out the strings to make sure they are perfectly in tune before handing the violin back to Cas.

"How much will that cost?" Cas asks as he reaches into his pocket for his wallet.

Dean pauses for a second. "Tell you what. It'll be free if I can meet you up for dinner sometime."

Cas freeze, hesitant with his response. "Um… dinner?" he finally utters.

"Yeah, why not?" Dean replies. "You seem like a cool guy, and I'd like to get to know you more. My shift is done at seven tonight, maybe you can show me what the food is like at your restaurant at, let's say, 7:30?"

"I, uh… I-I guess so."

"Great," Dean exclaims. "I'll see you there."

"Yeah…" Cas says in a daze. He walks out of the store, but not before Dean returns the full-body stare from earlier and takes a glance at Cas' ass on the way out.

"…whoa. I have no idea what happened there," Dean finally admits to himself when Cas drives away. "Still, there's something about him…" He smiles to himself as he thinks about his date tonight. "_Wait, hold on, a "date"? Is this what I just classified that as?_" Dean ponders this and shrugs it off. "_It's not like anything will happen between us._"


	3. Chapter 3

Bela's Bistro is a small joint, yet very fancy. Castiel has been working there for about a year and a half now. The owner, Bela Talbot, moved to the United States from England a few years back, yet she decided to open up an Italian restaurant. She adores Cas; he is always on time for his shift and performs his job to his maximum potential. Some days, Bela lets him take time off of waiting tables and requests that he play his violin for the customers for extra pay. It's a nice job to work, at least in Cas' mind.

Cas enters the restaurant dressed in a white dress shirt, black dress pants, and a blue tie. He decided to leave his trench coat at home; it seemed too casual for tonight. Besides, it didn't really match. He is greeted at the front by Meg, one of his waitress coworkers.

"Hey Clarence," Meg speaks with her signature Southern Cajun accent. "You here ta start your shift? I didn't think you were workin' tonight."

"No," Cas begins, "I'm actually here to get a table for two. The other one should be on their way. And who's Clarence?"

"Looks like you need ta watch more movies. You want a booth or a table?"

"Booth, please. One by the window if possible."

"Aight, sugar, follow me."

Cas falls behind Meg as she leads him over to empty booth by the corner of the restaurant. Perfect, right by the window. He sits down while Meg sets out silverware and napkins.

"Can I get you anything ta start, or do you want me ta wait until your other half gets here?" Meg asks.

"A coffee for now would be wonderful, thank you," Cas responds. "Oh, and with a bit of vanilla creamer, please."

"Sure thing, doll." Meg replies with a smile as she walks away. Cas stares out the window into the traffic, deep in thought. Hopefully he'll see Dean coming before he walks in. "_What inside of me made me accept Dean's request?_" It was almost like hypnosis, the way it happened. Cas couldn't help but stare at Dean's perfectly muscular frame and chiseled face in the music store today. His green eyes were deep and mysterious, and the gelled-up brown hair seemed to complete the picture. "_What is going on?_"Cas ponders. "_I never really paid much attention to men and their figures. I didn't even think I could find them attractive. Then again, when was the last time I actually felt attracted to a girl? Sure, there was Charlie back in sophomore year of high school, but that quickly ended when I learned she was a lesbian. Now that I think about it… how many other guys have I googly-eyed without noticing that I'd done so?_"

"Cas?" a voice calls.

Cas snaps back to reality instantaneously. "Holy shit!" Cas bursts out. There stands Dean, definitely underdressed for the occasion. "_Did he not hear the word "fancy" earlier?_" Cas thinks."_Better yet, how did he manage to enter without me seeing him?_"

"Hey, sorry if I startled you. You thinking deep about something?" Dean asks.

Cas remains almost perfectly still. "Uh, no. Not at all. I just zoned out."

"Whatever you say," Dean laughs. "Man, you were right. This place is fancy. I should have found some nicer clothes."

"You think?" Cas remarked sarcastically. "I work here, remember? I know how the general attire is, and I do remember mentioning it was fancy." Dean is about to retort when Meg comes up to the table with Cas' coffee.

"Well, Clarence," Meg smirks, setting the cup down. "An' here I thought you were gonna have a girl coming up in here for a nice, romantic dinner."

Cas chuckles slightly. "Meg, this is Dean… uh…"

"Winchester," Dean finishes. He offers out his hand to Meg. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Charming as well? You picked up somethin' good here, Clarence." Meg teases as she shakes Dean's head. "What can I get for you boys tonight?"

Cas is the first to answer. "I'll have a chicken bryan with a glass of water, please.

"I'll have the same," Dean chimes in, "but with a raspberry soda instead of water."

"On the way," Meg says happily. "I'll tell Bela you're here and you say hello."

"Thanks, Meg," Cas responds with a smile. When she's out of earshot, Dean turns to Cas.

"Why does she call you Clarence?" Dean questions.

"I'm about as confused as you are," Cas responds swiftly. Dean chuckles as he steals a bit of Cas' coffee.

"So, Cas, if I may ask… what do you have a violin for?"

Cas looks down for a quick second before answering. "My mother gave it to me when I was seven years old. I loved hearing the sound of it, so I started taking lessons. I'm actually playing in the orchestra concert at Ohio State University next Thursday."

"Must be why you came in right away today," Dean responds while fiddling with his silverware. "I've never really been into those kinds of tunes though. I'm more into classic rock."

"Yet you know how to fix a violin?"

"Ain't the same as listening to it. I can fix and tune every stringed instrument. Except for pianos. Those sons of bitches are way too complicated for me."

"Have you ever given classical pieces a shot? See if you like them?"

Dean looks up at Cas. "Y'know, I don't think I have before. I'll see if I can get Raphael or Lisa to play me something when I go back into work tomorrow."

Cas grins slightly at his answer. A woman comes up to the table with a tray in her hand. Looks like dinner's here.

"Two chicken bryans, a water, and a raspberry soda," the woman recites in a heavy English accent. "Nice to see you tonight, Castiel."

"Thanks for serving us personally, Bela," Cas happily remarks. "It's not often that the owner herself serves people."

"You're actually sitting here eating with someone, Castiel, of course I'm going to serve you personally!" she replies joyously. "_Bela's definitely in a good mood today_." Castiel looks away embarrassingly; he didn't want Dean to know that he doesn't really socialize with people. "Enjoy your dinner," she adds before she leaves to run the kitchen in the back.

Dean glances over at Cas with a little smile on his face. "So I'm the first person you've ever been to dinner with here?" he speaks slyly as he cuts into his chicken.

"Yeah…" Cas admits. "I don't get to see people much outside of the orchestra or work."

"Well, it's okay to let loose a bit every now and then," Dean begins before putting the piece of chicken into his mouth. "Fuck, this is delicious. Anyways, locking away your social life can be a bad thing for schooling and work. All work and no play probably makes Cas a very dull boy."

Cas laughs at the joke. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Dean and Cas continue eating their dinner, telling bad jokes and interesting stories from work or their childhoods. Every now and then, they would stop talking and look into each other's eyes and just smile. Cas can feel that something is happening between them, but he wasn't sure. "_What if Dean is just trying to be friendly, and this is way of doing so?_" Dean was finishing up a joke when Meg comes up to collect the plates.

"I think we are ready for the check at anytime, Meg," Cas calls out before she walks away.

"You forgettin' somethin', Clarence? You work here, genius. You and your boyfriend here get ta have this meal for free."

"Boyfriend?!" Cas' eyes widen as the word blurts from his mouth. "I, uh, I-I don't know—" Cas can't finish his sentence. He was stunned at the suggestion.

"Well, it doesn't seem like your friend Dean here is arguing with it now, is he, sugar?" Meg laughed as he tilted her head towards Dean and walked away. Cas twists at hyper speed to look at Dean, who has begun to blush. He guiltily turned away so that Cas couldn't notice, even though Cas caught him.

Cas can't believe this was real. Here is Dean, a supermodel-status man and definitely higher on the social chain than Cas, turning embarrassingly red at the suggestion that they were boyfriends. "_Maybe I was wrong? Maybe Dean actually does have interest in me_?" Dean quickly stands up, breaking Cas out of thought again.

"W-well, I guess that's our cue to go," Dean stammers. "You want me to walk you to your car or something?"

"Actually…" Cas trails off. He looks down shyly before answering. "I've been low on gas money lately, so Charlie dropped me off here. I was going to have her come get me, but do you think you could take me home..?"

Dean looked as Cas for a few seconds before smiling. "Sure," he answered. "Just tell me where you live."

Cas follows Dean out to the street. Dean walks over and unlocks the door to his black '67 Chevy Impala. Cas climbs in and looks around the interior. Nothing has been done to adapt the car to modern society. The radio tuner is still a dial, and there is a cassette player rather than a CD or MP3 player. Yet the car is still in excellent shape, and it still has that new-car smell. "_Dean takes very good care of his car, it seems_," Cas thinks to himself.

"So is there an address, or am I going to receive turn-by-turn directions?" Dean asks.

Cas latches in his seatbelt. "I'll just tell you where to go," he replies.

The car ride is mostly silent. Besides Castiel rambling off where to turn, there is little conversation. Dean pulls up into Cas' driveway right when Master Of Puppets plays quietly on the radio.

Cas breaks the silence. "Thank you for the ride, Dean," he speaks with a smile on his face.

"Anytime," Dean replies. "I had a great night. Do you think, maybe, y'know…"

"What?"

"Would you like to do it again sometime?"

Cas pauses at Dean's question. "_Do I?_"

"Sure, of course," he finally utters.

"Awesome," Dean exclaims. "Here, just a second…" he reaches into his console and pulls out a little slip of paper with a pencil. He begins to write something on it; Cas reads ten digits. "Here's my number. Call or text me sometime and we can set something up."

Cas takes the paper from Dean's hand. "Thanks," he responds. He unbuckles his seat belt and opens the door when Dean calls back to him.

"Cas?"

"Yeah?" Cas says as he turns around. Before he can meet Dean's gaze, he feels Dean's hand grab his tie and pull him closer.

"Wha—" Cas begins, but he is cut off. Dean had moved closer and pressed his lips against Cas'. Feeling petrified, Cas sits there, unmoving. "_What the hell is going on?_" Finally, he closes his eyes and allows himself to succumb into the kiss. Dean glides his hand up Cas' arm and neck and begins gently stroking his messy hair. Cas lets his arms hover up to Dean's biceps and grips down. "_Holy shit, he's muscular,_" Cas lazily thinks. His mind is too caught up in the moment. Dean pulls away out of the lip-lock after a minute and peers into Cas' eyes with a lustful glance. Cas gains some form of consciousness back and looks at Dean.

"If I may so ask," Cas speaks playfully, though still in a bit of a daze, "what was all that about?"

Dean smiles wolfishly. "Let's call it insurance," he replies in a serious, yet sexy voice, "so that I can see you again."

"Well," Cas chuckles, "mission accomplished. I'll see you around."

Dean winks at Cas as he gets out of the car and walks up to his door. He unlocks the door and enters his home, hearing the loud engine of the Impala pull out of his driveway and drive down the road. He looks around his house to find Charlie passed out on the couch with the sheet music clutched to her chest and Alessa laying on the floor. "_She must have been reviewing._" Cas walks into his bedroom and strips down his clothes to his white undershirt and boxers. He falls onto the bed and sighs happily to himself.

"Shit," he whispers to himself, "that was better than anything I've experienced in a loooong time." He falls asleep smiling, dreaming of Dean and his lips, and how much he can't wait for them to meet his once again.


	4. Chapter 4

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Cas is startled awake by a painfully loud sound. He sits straight up in bed, half asleep, looking for the source. He turns to find Charlie standing in the doorway with a blowhorn in her hand, a menacing grin on her face.

"Wake up! It's eleven in the morning! Ruby and Aladrin are here for practice!" Charlie calls out, military style.

Cas rubs his eyes. "And, of course, you had to use that devil's noisemaker. I swear, I'm going to kill you one of these days."

Charlie's manner changes from playfully malevolent to devilishly sweet. "Aw, but dear," she begins, "you would so totally miss me in the end."

"You're right," Cas laughs. "Let me get dressed and I'll be on my way out." Charlie nods and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Cas gets out of bed, leaving the blankets a mess. He ambles tiredly over to his dresser, pulls out a pair of blue jeans, and sleepily puts them on over his boxers. He then makes way towards his closet and takes out a white shirt with a black eighth musical note on the front. After putting fresh clothes on, he walks into his living room to see Charlie and Ruby, seated happily on the couch with their instruments.

"Hey, Castiel," Ruby spoke up. Her long, brown hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, which is uncharacteristic of her. "Where's Alexei? We need to get practicing, we only have six days left and Miss Abaddon will kill us if we fuck up at the concert."

Cas walks into the kitchen. "Well, normally I would be up and running, but Satan here thought it would be funny to run a damn train through my bedroom, so you'll have to wait until I get a cup of coffee."

"Ugh, fine," Ruby retorts.

"_She's just stressed, give her a break, Castiel,_" Cas thinks to himself. Ruby can have her ugly moments sometimes, but it's very rare. She's normally very calm and laidback about things. But, because she's the only pianist of the orchestra, she gets slammed heavily during concert time with pieces. A lot of pieces don't need her, but some do, and Miss Abaddon requested that she perform in the trio as well as a solo song of her choice. Ruby likes to flaunt her talent, so naturally she chose to do all three movements of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Having played for seventeen years, the pieces are all simple for her. She just never has the time to practice all of them, since work and her other classes take up a lot of her free time. It also doesn't help that she has a two year old daughter that she has to take care of.

Cas remembers the slip of paper that Dean gave him last night. He grabs his cup of coffee and takes it into the bedroom with him, finishing it there. Locating the slip of paper on his nightstand, he enters Dean's number into his cell phone before picking up his violin and returning to complete the trio. Cas picks up his phone and sends a quick "Hey, this is Cas" to Dean before focusing his attention to Ruby and Charlie.

"Alright," Ruby begins, "so I noticed at the last practice that we seemed to be off timing here at measure 112, so let's go ahead and run it from there and correct any mistakes that we're making." The trio runs through the piece numerous times, fixing any mistakes that they catch, when Cas stops playing in the middle of one of the runs.

"What's wrong, Castiel?" Charlie asks. Cas was looking out the window.

"Nothing," Cas states. He pauses for a moment. "I just thought I heard a familiar car engine. It's gone now." He looks back at Charlie and Ruby, who are perplexed.

"Alright…" Ruby says slowly. "Let's get back to it." Cas reaches for his violin when his phone lights up. He picks it up and notices the new text message from Dean:

"Knock knock."

Cas replies back to him with "Um… who's there?"

Seconds later, someone knocks twice on the door. Cas' eyes widen. He stands up and opens the door to see a familiar, beautiful, muscular figure.

Dean.

"Hey, Cas!" Dean exclaims happily. "Can I come in?"

Cas stands there for a second, frozen, before showing any sign of response. "_What the hell is he doing here right now?_" He finally utters, "Um… yeah, come in."

Dean enters the house and looks around, seemingly pleased with what he sees. He glances over at the two girls sitting on the couch, who are both staring at him as if they just saw a ghost.

"Dean? What are you doing here?" Charlie asks. "_Oh shit,_" Cas thinks, "_they know each other._"

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by," Dean quickly responds.

"How'd you even know where Cas lives? And aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Well," Dean begins, "Raphael had no lessons happening today and business was going super slow, so they sent me home early. And yesterday while I was fixing up Cas' violin, he mentioned something about playing in a trio at a concert, and I happened to hear it as I drove by on my way home, and I knew that only one group would be playing Mozart in a trio."

Cas stood there dumbfounded as Ruby massages her temple, obviously annoyed.

"Mendelssohn…" she finally spits out. "We're playing Mendelssohn."

Dean's face turns a slight shade of red. "Right," he stammers, "Mendelssohn. Dammit, I knew it began with an M."

"Well," Cas interrupts, "since you're here, why not stay and listen to the practice?"

Dean turns his attention to Cas, though his eyes are focused more on Cas' lips. Dean's green eyes have become filled with desire. "Sure," he agrees. "I'd love to." He walks over to the kitchen table, pulls a chair out, and sits down, watching the group. They resume their practicing and Dean cocks his head a little. "_Y'know, this is actually really good,_" Dean ponders to himself. "_They really have talent._"

Practice is over a half hour later, and the girls pack up their instruments. They hug Cas goodbye before taking their leave. Once, the door is closed behind them, Cas whirls around to look at Dean.

"Well, thanks for the notice," Cas starts, "but that was a pretty good lie you whipped up. What actually happened?"

Dean stands up and walks over to stand in front of Cas. "I didn't feel like waiting," he admits, "so I drove over here to surprise you. Didn't think you'd be having company. Though, I wasn't lying about the work thing, I actually was sent home early today due to slow business. So, are you gonna show me around, or is the tour self-guided?"

"Sure," Cas answers. He walks into the middle of the living room and begins pointing in different directions. "Kitchen, living room, bathroom, laundry room, and my room, which has another bathroom in it."

Dean nods with a surprised look on his face. "Well that was nice." He sits on the couch while Cas joins him. "I take it you didn't tell either of them about last night?"

"Not a single thing," Cas replied. "Charlie wouldn't have cared, and neither would Ruby. I just didn't know what you wanted."

"Hey, at least you were thinking of me."

"Shut up," Cas laughs. He reaches for the TV remote. "Care to watch a movie? I've got a few recorded."

"Sounds awesome," Dean responds happily.

"Cool. I'll let you pick one out while I go and make some popcorn. Surprise me with one; I haven't gotten the chance to watch any of them yet."

Dean takes the remote from Cas' hand and flips through the movie list. Cas is putting the popcorn kernel bag into the microwave and turning it on when he hears Dean nearly explode.

"You haven't seen Star Wars yet?!"

"Well," Cas replies, "I have. I just never got the time to watch that specific one."

"We're watching it then."

"Alright," Cas chuckles. The microwave beeps loudly and he takes the inflated bag out, dumping the popcorn into a bowl. He returns to his spot next to Dean, who places his legs on the coffee table and wraps an arm around Cas. The Star Wars theme begins playing as the yellow-word intro flies across the screen.

"Y'know, Cas, you never told me about your family," Dean states.

"You never told me about yours," Cas responds.

Dean raises his eyebrows. "Touché. But I asked you first."

"Alright, alright. I have two brothers named Michael and Gabriel. Michael is a royal dick; all he really cares about is himself. Gabriel likes to have fun, so he plays a bunch of jokes; however, sometimes it goes too far. He's good at heart, though."

"What about your folks?" Dean asks.

Cas looks away for a second, a saddened expression across his face. "My mother died of cancer when I was eight years old, and when I was sixteen, my father kind of just… left. He didn't tell us where he was going. None of us has heard from him since. Hell, I don't even know if he's still alive."

Dean grabs Cas' hand with his free arm. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how it would feel like to not hear from him again. My dad was a fucking deadbeat and would leave all the time, but he always came back eventually. He got into a car accident last year and died later in the hospital. And when I was about four, my house caught on fire, taking my mom with it. It took its toll on everyone. The only person I truly had was my little brother, Sam."

"What is he like?" Cas asks while grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"Who, Sammy? That kid is smart, I tell you. He got accepted into Stanford pre-law. He can be a little pain in my ass sometimes, but believe me when I say that I haven't met someone yet that I love more than him."

"It's good that you have a solid relationship with your brother," Cas begins, but pauses for a second. "…I, uh, mean that in the most non-perverted way possible."

Dean laughs loudly. "Don't worry, I understand."

They continue watching the movie. Cas rests his head on Dean's shoulder, who brings his hand up to play with Cas' hair. Cas' hands are touching Dean the entire time; one on his thigh and the other interlocked with his free hand. Every now and then, Dean makes a silly impression of one of the characters, causing Cas to laugh on Dean's shoulder. They have to pause the movie to let him catch his breath after Dean mimics Jar-Jar Binks.

* * *

After the movie is over, Cas looks up at Dean, who returns the gaze.

"Thank you for the good time today," Cas says. "I had fun."

"I did too," Dean replies, smiling.

Cas sits up a little bit, taking his head off Dean's shoulders and his hand off of his thigh, but keeping the hand-lock. "Dean… I have a question."

"Of course, what is it?"

"What made you want to kiss me last night?"

Dean straightens out a bit, thinking about his answer. "Y'know," he begins, "I don't know. I just found an interest in you the moment you walked into the music store yesterday, and I wanted to get to know you better, and in the car it just felt so right to kiss you, and I—"

Cas cuts him off by grabbing the back of Dean's head and pulling it towards closer, closing in for a kiss. Before their lips touch, Cas whispers, "Shut up already; you had me at 'interest'."

Dean smiles as their lips meet. Cas runs his hands down Dean's back, pulling him even closer until they become flush. Dean cups one hand on the back of Cas' neck, feeling the fine little hairs that reside there. He moves his other hand along Cas' side, kissing him harder. Cas allows his body to move in a fluid motion as Dean lays his back down on the couch, never breaking lip-lock, so that Dean is on top of Cas. Cas places his hands on Dean's lower back while Dean removes his hand from Cas' side and caresses down his leg. Cas opens his eyes for a split second, glancing over at the clock.

3:17pm.

"Shit!" Cas yells as he motions for Dean to get up. Dean moves back in confusion as he stares at Cas, who is rushing into his bedroom.

"What's wrong, babe?" Dean calls after him.

"I'm gonna be late for work, I start at 3:45!" Cas yells from his room.

"Oh shit, here, let me drive you there," Dean offers.

"Oh my God, thank you SO much."

"Anytime. I'll be out in the car."

Dean grabs his keys and heads out the door towards his car. Cas finishes putting on his work outfit: a white dress shirt, black dress pants, black dress shoes, a black tie, and a black vest. He grabs his house key and phone and bolts out of the house, stopping only to turn around and lock it. He power walks over to the Impala. Dean had opened the door for him already. "_How gentleman-like,_" he thought. Dean backs out of the driveway and heads towards the restaurant, obviously ignoring the speed limit until they enter the city. They pull up to the restaurant and Cas looks at the clock. 3:34pm. "_Good, I'm not late._" He turns to Dean.

"Thank you for the last minute ride," Cas says.

"You're welcome. But before you go, I gotta ask… what time is your orchestra concert next week?"

"7:00pm sharp. Miss Abaddon is strict with times."

"That's pressing my work schedule. I'll see what I can do though."

Cas smiles brightly. "Please try to come. We're starting mass practices again tomorrow, and they're gonna be every day from noon to seven, so I won't be able to see you before then."

Dean smiles back. "I'll try," he promises. Cas quickly kisses his lips before getting out of the car and entering the restaurant.

Dean drives back to his apartment outside of town. It's a small flat, but enough to suit his needs. He picks up his acoustic guitar and begins to play songs that he remembers.

"_If Cas can impress me with his violin,_" he thinks to himself, "_then I want to show him what I can do._"


	5. Chapter 5

"No."

Dean stares at his boss. "But Raphael—"

"I said no," Raphael insists. "Why do you even want to get off work a half hour early today?"

"A friend of mine wants me to go to the orchestra concert at Ohio State University today."

Raphael laughs sarcastically. "You? An ORCHESTRA concert? I always figured you'd rather teach poetry to a fish."

"I figured I would expand my musical horizon," Dean retorts.

Raphael stands still for a second. "What time is the orchestra concert?"

"Seven tonight."

"Well… fine. Go ahead. But you have to work an hour overtime tomorrow."

"Deal," Dean says instantly. "_Damn, I thought I was gonna have to miss the concert tonight for a second there._" Raphael walks into the practice room and prepares for the next lesson. Dean pulls out his cell phone and dials a number. It rings three times before someone picks up.

"Hello?" the voice asks.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean exclaims, "How you doing?"

"Oh hey, Dean. I'm doing good. And yourself?"

"I've been awesome lately. Hey, are you and Jess doing anything later?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"I was wondering if you two wanted to come down from Dublin and see an orchestra concert with me."

Sam laughs on the other end of the phone. "An orchestra concert? Really? Dean, you can't even name an orchestral composer."

"Shut up, Sammy," Dean snaps playfully. "There's someone I want you to meet there.

"Oh? Who?"

Dean freezes for a moment. "Promise you won't be mad at me?"

"Promise."

"You'll still love your brother?"

"Dean, shut up and get on with it."

"Alright, alright… I want you to meet my boyfriend tonight."

There is a pause on the other end of the line. Dean's nerves are racked. He hears Sam call Jess into the room. They put him on speakerphone.

"Can you repeat that, Dean?" Sam requests.

Dean sighs. "I want you two to come to the orchestra concert tonight to meet my boyfriend.

"I called it!" Jess yells. "I told you, Sam!" Dean looks at the phone, dumbstruck.

"Whatever," Sam returns.

"Wait, so you guys KNEW?" Dean asks frantically.

Sam and Jess laugh. "Of course," Jess explains. "Well, it was more of a guess. I've caught you checking out plenty of guys. I don't think you realize you're doing it though."

Dean realizes all the times he's stared at guys at parties and bars. "Well shit," he finally says. "I didn't think you guys figured that. I just learned it last week."

"We're glad that you're happy, Dean," Sam says, "whoever you're with. What time is the concert?"

"It's at seven tonight. You wanna just meet me there or come to the shop and we'll go together? I'm leaving work early and headed straight there."

Dean hears discussion on their half of the line. "We can just meet you there," Jess finally answers.

"Awesome," Dean replies, "I'll see you there." He hangs up the phone and returns to work.

* * *

The rest of the day is slow, but he has a few tunings and sales that he gets done. He leaves work at 6:30pm and drives directly to OSU. Sam and Jess are waiting in front of the doors.

"Hey!" Dean calls out to them. They look around for a second before locating him.

"Hey, Dean," Sam exclaims as he closes in for a hug.

"And hello to you too, Jess," Dean says as he hugs her. Her blonde hair flows in the wind. "Looking pretty as ever, I see."

"Not looking too bad yourself," she replies.

Dean chuckles. He directs his attention to Sam. "So, Sammy, have you decided on making Miss Moore here a Mrs. Winchester?"

Sam punches him in the shoulder. "Shut up," he says jokingly, "we're taking it slow."

Dean rubs his shoulder where Sam hit him. "Bitch."

"Jerk." Sam quickly retaliates. The brothers both laugh.

"Alright," Dean says, "let's head inside."

The group heads inside and makes way for the auditorium. They enter to see a vast, two-leveled seated area with a large stage. Chairs are set up along the entire stage, with some even on the floor. The only visible instruments are a grand piano and a harp. After a few minutes of sitting, a woman wearing a very formal black dress walks up to the microphone on the stand, a viola in one hand and a bow in another. Her hair is held up with a long wooden pin, almost like a Chinese bun. She brings the viola up to her chin and arms her bow. She begins to play a piece that is unfamiliar to the group, yet the sound is melodically haunting. Dean gets chills down his spine just by listening to it. When she finishes, the audience applauds. The formal woman calls someone over and hands the viola to her, who takes it offstage. She walks to the microphone and grabs a hold of it.

"Hello," the woman begins, "and welcome to the Ohio State University Spring String Performance. I am Miss Abaddon." The orchestra members file in to their seats with their various instruments and sit down. Miss Abaddon continues her speech. "The piece you just heard was written by a student of mine this year, but sadly, she could not be here tonight. These students have all worked hard to bring to you the pieces that truly demonstrate the essence of music. Please hold your applause until the intermission, as each piece will be back-to-back. Intermission will begin after the solo performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata by Ruby Cortese, and the finale will be Mendelssohn's Piano Trio Op. 49 in D Minor, with pianist Ruby Cortese, cellist Charlie Bradbury, and violinist Castiel Novak."

Dean smiles at the sound of Cas' name, and Sam and Jess notice.

"I take it Castiel is your boy toy?" Jess states smugly. Dean just winks back at her.

"And now," Miss Abaddon continues, "let us begin!"

Miss Abaddon turns around and pulls the wooden pin from her hair, though her hair still stays in a bun. Dean takes a closer look. "_Shit,_" he thinks, "_that's a conductor's baton._" She flicks her baton four times in rhythm before the orchestra starts playing.

The concert plays through, playing numerous pieces. After a while, the rest of the members go backstage while Ruby stays at the piano. She flips through her sheet music and finds Moonlight Sonata, and then begins to play. The beginning is slow and melancholic, and Dean can feel the entire ambiance of the auditorium shift to match the song's mood. After a few minutes, the piece takes on more of a happy classical tone, and the feel of the room changes again. Jess turns to Dean.

"Wait, she's playing the ENTIRE Moonlight Sonata?" she whispers, obviously shocked.

"Yeah," Dean answers. "Is that a bad thing?"

Sam interrupts. "The third movement is one of the most complex piano pieces out there. We're listening to the second movement right now. I'm curious to see how she does."

Dean looks back at the piano. "_It doesn't seem like it takes an expert to play this._" The playing ends and Ruby pauses for two seconds. She flips the page and raises her hands back to the keys. Within moments, her hands are flying along the piano, playing one of the most intricate sounds Dean has ever heard.

"Holy shit," Dean whispers.

"I know right," Sam replies softly.

After about seven minutes, Ruby plays the final chord and the audience applauds wildly. Many people get up to go to the bathroom or smoke a cigarette outside. Dean pulls out his phone and sends a text to Cas:

"We're here close to the front. Ruby did wonderful!"

Moments later, there is a reply.

"She thanks you. And… 'we'?"

Dean pulls up his camera app and gathers Sam and Jess in for a picture. He sends it to Cas with the caption "I wanted you to meet Sammy and his girl, Jess." To this, Cas just replies with a ":)" and nothing else. Dean puts his phone away when Miss Abaddon comes back up to the microphone.

"We will now conclude intermission. Again, please hold your applause until the final performance."

The orchestra begins playing again. After a few pieces, the harpist plays a solo and Ruby does a duet with a violist. The group plays one more piece before everyone leaves except Ruby and Charlie. Dean looks for Cas, but cannot find him. Finally, a spotlight is directed to an area somewhere in the stands, where Cas is calmly sitting with his violin. He stands up and walks towards the stage, the shock of the audience audible through the room. Once reaching the stage, he stands between Charlie and Ruby, who are both sitting. Each member of the trio readies their instruments, and Charlie has the first note of the arrangement, Ruby backs it up, and Castiel then comes in.

Dean sits in his seat in wonder. "_Beautiful…_" He has never heard anything like it. The way the harmony sets in just right with its rapid measures at some parts and slowed rhythms at others has him in a trance. "_Maybe it's just that Cas is playing?_" Ruby's fingers doesn't seem to slow down much in this piece either.

At the end of the piece, everyone bursts into applaud; many give standing ovations, including Dean, Sam, and Jess. When everyone starts to leave the auditorium, Dean rushes to find Cas. He finds him in the main lobby with his violin.

"Cas!" Dean yells. Cas turns to meet his eyes and smiles widely.

"Dean!" he says as he gets up and walks towards him. "How were you able to make it?"

"Traded for some overtime tomorrow. It was worth it though, you did wonderful in your trio."

"I messed up on a note. Miss Abaddon is going to be furious with me on Monday."

"Well screw her, then. I think you did beautifully."

Cas smiles and looks past Dean's shoulder. Sam and Jess are approaching where they stand. Dean turns around to greet them.

"Sammy, Jess, this is Cas." Dean says, turning back to Cas. He gives him a look, saying "_They know_" with his eyes.

Cas understands Dean's silent message. "A pleasure to meet you," he says to the couple. "Dean speaks highly of you, Sam."

"Thank you," Sam replies happily. "Do you want us to let you two be?"

Dean and Cas look at each other momentarily. "Well," Dean begins, "we didn't really have any plans going on tonight. We could all go to dinner, maybe?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Cas adds.

"We'd love to," Jess states, "but it's getting late, and we both have to get up early tomorrow."

"That's fine," Dean replies. "It was good to see you guys again. Take care now."

"We will, Dean," Sam responds. "See you around."

Sam and Jess head out to their car and leave for Dublin. Dean follow them out, heading back to the Impala. Dean turns to Cas when they get into the car.

"So," he starts, "am I taking you back to your house?"

"Yes, please. And of course, you can come in too if you want."

Dean smiles, starts up the car, and drives towards Cas' house, one hand on the wheel and the other holding Cas' hand. When they arrive, they both get out of the car.

"Hold on," Dean calls out, "I need to grab something. I'll be right there, go on and head in."

"Alright," Cas replies back. He unlocks his door and goes inside. Dean walks behind his car to his trunk and opens it. He pulls out his acoustic guitar and slams the trunk door shut. He opens the door to Cas' house slightly, just enough to poke his head through. Cas stares at him, confused.

"Close your eyes," Dean requests. Cas obeys and Dean enters the house, sitting next to him on the couch. He starts playing a song on his guitar. Cas opens his eyes in shock.

"I know this song…" he says. "Death Cab For Cutie?"

Dean smiles and nods his head. He continues playing and starts singing.

Cas sits there, stunned. "_He's not the best singer,_" he thinks, "_but… this is…_" He watches Dean and listens to him play and sing, and can't help but love him more. When the song is over, Cas leans in and kisses his lips as if they saw each other again for the first time in a year.

"Dean, that was… that was beautiful."

Dean smiles and kisses him back. "I wanted to impress you with something. Listening to you practice last week, I was absolutely blown by your talent. I wanted to do something that would give you the same feeling."

"Well," Cas laughs, "it certainly worked." He pulls Dean closer and kisses him again before getting up and grabbing his hand. "Come with me."

Dean stands up and lets Cas pull him into the bedroom. Cas closes the door behind him, turns around, and kisses Dean hard, pushing him onto the bed. Dean places one of his hands on the back of Cas' head and allows the other to roam down his back. Cas' arms are supporting him on the bed. He pulls away for a second.

"Stay with me tonight, baby," Cas says in a seductive voice, "and we can have some fun."

Dean kisses him again before answering. "Baby, I would. But I want to take this slow. I care about you, I really do, and I don't want to rush this and risk hurting you somehow. I would never try to, but I don't want the risk either. Take a raincheck for some time in the future, though."

Cas smiles gently. "Okay," he says almost disappointedly, "but can you still stay with me tonight?"

"Of course."

The two kiss each other before changing into their night clothes: Cas in an undershirt and boxers, and Dean in just boxers. They climb into bed, where Cas rests his head on Dean's chest, caressing him gently and crossing his leg over Dean's. Dean wraps his arm around Cas and plays with his hair until they both fall asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Four months have passed since Dean and Cas had gotten together. They see each more often now between work and school. Through encouragement from Cas, Dean finally decided to start teaching guitar at the music shop, and it has been paying off. He gets more money per paycheck and finally has more to do during work than to sit around. Cas is in a more adept class within his orchestra, along with Charlie and Ruby. Dean and Cas are both happy, with their lives and with each other. However, they still vowed to move more slowly with their relationship. Anytime things would start to escalate past making out, they would pull away for a few seconds and let the lust cool itself down before going back to simply cuddling.

At Cas' house, Dean walks into the living room from the kitchen with two glasses of wine. He sits on the couch next to Cas and hands him one of the glasses. Pretty Little Liars is playing on the TV, but neither of them are paying much attention. They're too busy telling jokes and laughing and kissing to care. After a while, Cas pulls away.

"Dean, can I ask you a question?" Cas asks.

"Of course, anything," Dean answers.

"Well, we haven't really told anyone about… us. Sam and Jess are the only ones who we've told. I was wondering… do you think we can tell Charlie and Ruby? They're my best friends besides you, and I think they deserve to know."

Dean sits still for a second, then smiles. "Of course," he replies. "Invite them over, we can both tell them."

Cas' face is beaming as he pulls out his phone and dials Charlie's number to invite her over. Naturally, she says yes, and that she'll go and grab Ruby too. Within a half hour, they arrive at Cas' house.

"Hey, Castiel," Ruby greets, "what's going down?"

"Yeah, you never did fill me in," Charlie adds. She looks at Dean, who is sipping his wine. "And what is Dean doing here?"

Dean puts his glass down and stands up. "I'm here for the shits and giggles," he cracks.

"Well," Cas starts, "I called you guys here because it involves Dean. I wanted to tell you guys something."

"What, is Dean your long lost brother?" Ruby asks sarcastically as she steals Cas' wine glass from his hand and takes a drink.

"Nope," Dean interrupts. "Dean is his boyfriend."

Ruby almost spits her wine up. "What?!" she yells. Charlie lets out a fangirl scream and hugs Cas, then runs over and tackles Dean, who proceeds to fall over the loveseat next to the couch. Cas just turns around and stares at them, confused. "How long has this been going on?" Ruby continues.

Dean sits up from his crash landing on the floor. "A little over four months now," he answers painfully.

Charlie sits up quickly. "Have you two had sex yet?!" she shouts.

Dean and Cas look at each other awkwardly. "Uh… no," they both say.

Ruby leers angrily at Cas. "You two have been dating for that long now," she complains, "and you didn't bother to tell us? Don't get me wrong, it's fucking adorable, I just wish you would have told us sooner."

"We were just waiting for the right time," Cas explains, "and today felt like the day."

Charlie pops up excitedly. "Well," she injected, "at least now we can go on double dates!"

Cas glares at her, shocked. A confused look crosses Dean's face. "Wait," Cas stated, "what?"

"As of last week, Ruby and I are dating!" she replies happily.

Cas' jaw drops and Dean's eyes widen. "What?!" they both say in unison.

Ruby gives a smug smile. "That's right," she confirmed.

"Well, this is nice," Cas says, "but how exactly are we going to go on a double date if not all of us want the world to know that we're in gay pairs together?"

Charlie's eyes brighten. "Simple!" she exclaims. "We can buy a bottle of champagne and order pizza!"

"I like your style!" Dean laughs, standing up. "I'll go get the booze. Veuve Clicquot?"

Everyone nods in agreement. Dean leaves for the store, the sound of the Impala's noisy engine disappearing down the street. Ruby picks up the phone and orders a few pizzas while Charlie tries to play Cas' violin.

"Hey, Charlie!" Cas jokingly yelled. "Put Alexei down! You remember what happened the last time you touched him."

Charlie looks away in guilt before putting the violin back on its stand. Ruby returns to the living room.

"Alright," she begins, "I ordered two cheeses and a meat lovers. Total's gonna be about $30, but I'll cover that plus tip. Cas, is your boyfriend gonna pay for the entire bottle of champagne?"

"What do you mean?" Cas questions.

"That brand is like $75 per bottle."

Cas' eyes widen in surprise. "Damn. I'm sure he can cover it though. If he has to use credit then I'll pay him back."

"Okay," Ruby replies. She sits down on the couch and motions for Charlie to come sit next to her. Charlie plops down onto the couch and lays down, her head in Ruby's lap. Cas smiles as he walks to pick up his violin. He starts playing sappy, romantic music.

"Oh so you can touch the violin but I can't?!" Charlie shouts.

"It's my violin, genius!" Cas yells back. Both of them laugh. Ruby chuckles a bit and begins stroking Charlie's hair.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" she says to her.

"Someone hasn't looked in a mirror lately, have they?" Charlie responds, smiling dumbly. She lifts her head up to kiss Ruby's lips.

"Aw, how sweet," Cas teasingly says from the other side of the room.

"Oh hush, lover boy," Ruby retorts, "I'm sure you've had plenty of lip action from G.I. Joe."

Cas blushes and turns away. "Maybe…" he mutters. Ruby laughs just as Dean walks through the door, holding two bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne.

"They had a sale," he says, grinning, "so I got two."

"Sweet!" Ruby says. "The pizza should be here soon."

"Awesome," Dean responds. He sits down on the loveseat, Cas walking up to join him. Dean grabs Cas' hand and wraps his other arm around him. Ruby and Charlie watch them get comfortable, grinning uncontrollably.

"You may now kiss the bride!" Charlie teases.

"Shut up," Cas laughs.

"Gladly," Dean says.

"Wait, wha—" Cas begins, but is cut off mid-sentence when Dean's lips enclose around his own. Charlie lets out a mini squeal while Ruby cheers them on. Dean and Cas start smiling, and eventually they have to end the kiss due to laughing. Charlie is rolling off of the couch from laughing too hard when the doorbell rings.

"Pizza!" Charlie yells excitedly. She and Cas get up and rush to the door. Dean turns to Ruby.

"Quite the eccentric one you got there," he says to her.

"That's why I adore her," she replies sweetly. "Hey, I have a question."

"Shoot away, princess."

"It's been four months now. How come you and Castiel haven't done anything sexual yet?"

Dean pauses for a moment. "I've been wanting to take with slow and build a romantic climax with the guy. Believe me, we've come close to dropping the pants and making like rabbits, but I want to keep from rushing things. I want to take good care of him."

Ruby smiles softly. "Good answer," she says.

Cas and Charlie walk back over with the pizza and set it on the coffee table. Dean gets up, goes to the kitchen, and grabs four wine glasses, since Cas has no champagne glasses. He pours an even amount of the Veuve Clicquot in the glasses. Cas walks up and grabs two of the glasses, kissing Dean on the lips in the process.

"Thank you," Cas says softly.

"Anything for my lovely bride," Dean teases, kissing him again before returning to the loveseat with him. They each hand one glass to the girls. Cas flips through the channels and turns on the MTV Music Awards.

* * *

The group eats pizza and laughs, sipping champagne and watching the awards. About twenty minutes into it, Dean sits up.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Dean shouts, "what the fuck? Why the hell does that Justin Bieber kid get an award? Dude's lyrics are shit and his voice sounds like he has a pussy."

Charlie sits up rapidly. "Don't diss the Biebs," she says in a frightening voice. Dean's eyes widen in fear as he pours himself more champagne.

"Go Beyoncé!" Cas drunkenly yells. "_A bit of a lightweight,_" Dean thinks, considering Cas has only had two glasses.

"You like Beyoncé?" Ruby laughs. "I didn't think you were the type, Castiel."

Cas laughs and lays his head on Dean's thigh, looking up at him. Dean is running his fingers through Cas' hair when Charlie stands up.

"Shit, we gotta go, Ruby," she exclaims. "The babysitter is gonna be getting off here soon."

"Fuck, you're right," Ruby replies hastily. She grabs her purse and stands up, turning towards Dean and Cas. "Thanks for the fun night, guys."

"Anytime," Dean replies, glancing down at his hammered boyfriend. He looks back up at Ruby. "You sure you're okay to drive?"

"Yeah," she responds, "I only had half a glass. Go ahead and finish mine if you want."

"Will do, princess. Drive safe now."

Ruby grabs Charlie's hand as they walk out the door. Dean lifts Cas' off of his lap and stands up.

"Come on, babe," Dean coaxes, "let's get you to bed." He grabs a hold of Cas' arm and pulls him up, allowing Cas to rest his body weight against him. They amble into the bedroom, where Cas turns around and pushes Dean into the wall, kissing him hard.

"Whoa there," Dean manages to get out, but Cas continues to make out with him. Dean closes his eyes and glides his hand down his back. Cas places his hand on Dean's chest and drags it down to his abs.

"Come on, baby, let tonight be the night," Cas speaks lustfully. Dean can smell the champagne on his breath. Cas moves his hand past Dean's abs and massages his crotch. "Fuck, you feel so big. I want a taste."

Dean pushes Cas away slightly. "Baby," he begins, "I know you want to, but the time will come, don't worry. Tonight, you just need to get some sleep."

"You're never any fun," Cas pouts.

"I know," Dean admits. He leads Cas over to the bed and helps him lay down. Cas falls asleep instantly when Dean starts to stroke his face.

"Soon enough, don't worry," Dean assures to him. He takes off his shirt and pants and lays in bed next to Cas, wrapping his arms around him. Shortly after, Dean falls asleep as well, smiling happily.

* * *

Dean wakes up the next morning to find Cas in the bathroom. He opens the door to see his boyfriend kneeling over the toilet.

"Someone's a lightweight," Dean teases. Cas moans in response. Dean laughs and picks his shirt up off of the ground. He is putting it on his shirt when his phone starts ringing. He picks it up and answers the call.

"Hello?" Dean asks.

"Yes, is this Dean Winchester?" a somewhat familiar female voice responds.

"This is him. Who is this?"

"It's Naomi, the owner of the apartment complex."

"Oh, hey. What's going on?" Dean asks, shifting the phone to his other ear.

"Do you have renter's insurance, Dean?"

Dean freezes for a moment. "Yeah… why?" Naomi pauses on the other end of the line. Dean can hear his heart pounding.

"The complex caught fire and burned down sometime late last night."


	7. Chapter 7

Dean drops his phone on the floor. "_No…_" he thinks, "_this can't be happening…_" Naomi's confused voice can barely be heard from the phone. Dean picks it up and holds it back to his ear.

"What am I supposed to do?!" he asks frantically. "How the fuck am I going to get all of my shit back?!"

Naomi attempts to keep him calm. "Don't worry," she assures, "if you have renter's insurance then you can call the company and tell them what happened. Give them your information and the address of the complex. Once they confirm that it burned down, you will be reimbursed some money so that you can buy some of your things again." She pauses for a moment. "If they need to speak with me, have them give me a call, okay?"

"Yeah…" Dean replies weakly. He hangs up the phone, tosses it on the floor, and falls back onto the bed, his face in his hands. Cas comes out of the bathroom and sits next to him.

"What happened, babe?" Cas asks, attempting to comfort him. Dean looks up at him from his hands, holding back tears.

"My fucking apartment burned down!" Dean yells with an unstable voice.

"Oh my God…" Cas gasps. He wants to say more, but doesn't know what to say. "_What can I say? That it's all going to be fine? But maybe…_" Cas holds Dean's hand and looks him in the eye. "I have an idea," he tells him.

Dean rubs his face to try to keep from crying. "What?" he asks shakily.

"Move in with me," Cas replies. "It'd be easier than finding a new place."

Dean looks into Cas' eyes. "Are you sure..?"

"Of course."

Dean pulls Cas in for a hug, burying his face in Cas' neck. "Thank you…" he whimpers. Cas doesn't say a word; he simply just wraps his arms around Dean and rubs his back.

* * *

Later that day, Dean calls the insurance company to talk about reimbursement. He paces back and forth nervously. "_What if they decline it?_" he ponders silently, waiting for them to answer. A voice with a clear Scottish accent chimes in on the other end of the phone.

"Leston Insurance, this is Crowley," the agent begins, "how may I help you?"

Dean clears his throat. "Yeah, my name is Dean Winchester. My apartment complex over on 5th Street in downtown Columbus burned down last night."

"Alright, Dean, let me just ask a few questions," Crowley responds.

In the other room, Cas sits at the dining table, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for Dean to come out. He looks at his kitchen timer: 15 minutes left. He had started making a pie earlier for Dean— his favorite kind— in an attempt to console him more. Cas looks up when he hears Dean enter the kitchen and sit down at the table next to him.

"They're giving me $950 to cover personal items," Dean says, looking down at the wooden surface of the table. "That's nowhere near enough to get back all that I had."

Cas reaches for his hand and gently holds it. "Don't worry," he replies softly, "we have a lot here already. A couch, a TV, a bed, a dresser, kitchen supplies; the whole nine yards. All we have to do is get you some clothes and other personal items." He raises Dean's hand and kisses it. "It'll all be okay, babe. I promise."

Dean looks up, a single tear falling down his face. He lunges over and wraps his arms tightly around Cas. "I love you, Castiel," he says. "I never want to let you go." His voice quivers. "I'm so glad to have met you that day in the music store."

"Well," Cas smiles, "you'll have to thank Charlie for breaking my violin."

Dean laughs, seeming in a better mood due to Cas' humorous comment. He pulls back from Cas slightly and reaches his hand up to his face, gently caressing Cas' cheek before leaning in to allow their lips to intertwine. Cas closes his eyes and pushes himself into the kiss while running his hands down Dean's sides to his waist. Dean breaks the kiss, stands up, and grabs a hold of Cas' hand.

"I wonder how I can thank you," Dean says in a low, lustful tone. He pulls Cas up and leads him down the hall into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. He sits on the bed, legs spread apart, and pulls Cas in, kissing him hard. Cas wraps his arms around Dean and leans forward, pushing him onto the bed. Dean runs his hands down Cas' back and rests them on his ass, giving it a playful slap.

"Ooh," Cas emits, "you know how to turn me on and we haven't even done anything yet."

"I guess that's gonna change, huh?" Dean replies. He grabs Cas' shirt and pulls it over his head, resuming the kiss. He flips Cas over onto his back and takes off his own shirt. They both shift their entire bodies onto the bed, which squeaks painfully in the process. Dean bites gently into Cas' neck, who lets out a soft moan and grabs Dean's ass.

Suddenly, the door flings open.

"Hey guys, I— whoa."

Dean lets out a yelp and gets off of Cas instantly, turning around to see Charlie standing there, gaping.

"Do you mind?!" Cas yells.

"I'm sorry!" Charlie responds frantically. "I forgot my wallet and I thought you guys would still be sleeping and I was gonna surprise you!"

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Dean assures. "We'll see you again, Charlie."

"Right. Right! I'll let you two be. Um… bye!" She closes the door behind her and leaves the house. Dean turns to Cas.

"Does she always do this?" he asks.

"She's done worse," Cas admits. "One morning I walked out of my room and she was on my couch in her underwear playing Angry Birds. I always get her back though."

Dean grins wolfishly. "Well, I know what we can do."

"What?"

"Eventually, we should just go and have sex at her house."

Cas laughs. "I like how you think." He kisses Dean, who climbs back onto him.

"But first…" Dean whispers, "let's finish what we were doing." He leans down and teases Cas' nipple with his tongue. Cas lets out a soft moan and squeezes Dean's ass. Moving to his chest, Dean kisses downward to Cas' stomach. He fiddles with Cas' jeans, undoing the button and zipper. Pulling them down, he returns upward and makes out with Cas, dancing his tongue along the inside of his mouth. Cas reaches down to undo Dean's pants. He inserts his hand into Dean's boxers and grips onto Dean's hard cock, jerking it slowly. Dean exhales deeply in pleasure and bites softly at Cas' neck. Cas pulls his hand out of Dean's underwear and pushes him off to take off the rest of his clothes. Dean removes Cas boxers and smiles.

"Damn, babe," Dean admires, "I've been wanting to know what you looked like down south but I never expected this."

Cas smirks and scans Dean's entire muscular body with his eyes. "Mine is nothing compared to yours," he speaks in a rough voice as he lightly pushes Dean on his back. Cas leans down, grabs Dean's cock, and looks up into his green eyes. Dean digs his hands into the sheets as Cas' tongue caresses along his shaft.

"Fuuuck," Dean moans under his breath. Cas places Dean's dick into his mouth and bobs his head in a slow up-and-down motion while massaging his own cock. Dean runs his fingers through Cas' hair, pushing down slightly and grunting in pleasure. Cas runs his free hand up Dean's thighs to his waist as he sucks harder, Dean's moans progressively getting louder as a result. Cas releases Dean's cock from his mouth and moves upward to kiss under Dean's ear, grinding against him. Dean reaches down and holds both of their dicks in his hand, jacking them both at the same time. Cas moans into Dean's ear, which turns him on even more.

"Dean…" Cas whispers, "I want you to fuck me… right now."

Dean pants sharply in pleasure from the grinding. "Position?" he asks.

"I don't care, just get inside me."

Dean grabs Cas by the sides and reverses him over so that Dean is on top and Cas is on his back. He lifts Cas' legs onto his shoulders and teases Cas' hole with the tip of his dick. Cas gazes intently into Dean's eyes, feeding lust into him. Dean slowly begins to enter Cas' ass, who yells in pleasure. He grabs Cas' legs and thrusts slowly into him at first, gradually getting faster.

"Oh, fuck!" Cas moans loudly as he pumps his own cock to match Dean's thrusts. "_It hurts,_" he thinks, "_but it hurts so good._" He looks up at Dean, who is beginning to sweat. "Fuck me harder," he commands.

Dean moans as he pounds as hard and fast as possible into Cas' ass, who is nearly screaming now. "Shit, you're so tight," he manages to get out through his moans and shortened breathing. He can feel Cas tense up. "You gonna cum?" he asks.

Cas nods as his moans get even louder. He freezes up and screams in pleasure as he busts his load all over his chest. Dean continues to fuck him until he feels his own cum start to build up.

"Get ready…" Dean groans. He pulls out and jerks himself off until he shoots all over Cas' stomach while letting out a large, pleasured moan. He leans over Cas with his free arm supporting him and kisses Cas passionately for a moment before looking into his eyes.

"You sure you haven't done this before?" Dean huffs.

"Positive," Cas laughs.

Dean smiles and gets off the bed. "I'll go get a towel," he says, walking into the bathroom. Cas relaxes and slows his breathing, ignoring the wonderful pain he now has in between his legs. Dean returns and wipes Cas off before leaning in for another kiss. Cas looks over at the digital clock on the nightstand; the red numbers displayed read 1:58pm.

"I better get ready for work," Cas says. Dean wants to reply, but is too exhausted to find something to say. Cas kisses him one last time before getting up to shower and get dressed. When he comes out of the bathroom, Dean is already asleep, the blanket half covering him. Cas walks over and pulls the blanket over his torso, kissing him on the cheek.

"Sleep well," Cas says. "You deserve it." He grabs his car keys and walks out the door. "_I can't wait to do it again with you, Dean._"

* * *

**_A/N: Tada, smut! This is the first sex scene I've ever written, so I hope it was well-written enough for you guys. :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

"Dean, have you seen my music folder?"

"On the nightstand, babe."

Cas walks into the bedroom and locates his folder, sitting right where Dean said it was. Dean walks out of the bathroom, followed by steam, while wearing just a towel. Cas stares him up and down and grins smugly.

"Something's missing," Cas says.

Dean cocks his head in confusion. "What?" he asks. Cas reaches over and rips off the towel, exposing Dean's entirely nude body. Dean looks at Cas with big eyes before smiling like an idiot.

"Well," Cas begins, "NOW something is." Dean laughs and leans in to kiss him.

"You nervous?" Dean asks.

"Kinda," Cas replies. "I mean, this is the first concert I've ever performed. I just hope the students do well."

"You'll do great," Dean exclaims with an assuring voice. "You studied in school for, what, four years? Just cuz this is your first year teaching at the high school don't mean a damn thing. Your class is gonna rock it."

Cas smiles, nerves slightly at rest. "I'm so glad to have you, Dean," he says.

Dean wraps his arms around Cas' waist. "Three years and forever counting," he replies before kissing his lips. "Now, go out there and work your sexy little ass off. I'll see you tonight at the concert." Cas grabs his keys and turns to walk out of the bedroom when Dean slaps him on the ass, making Cas giggle playfully.

Cas pivots around to face Dean. "Oh, and Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You're still naked."

Dean looks down, staring past his dick at his feet. "_Shit, I forgot about that._" He looks up at Cas, who winks at him before turning to leave the house. Dean throws on a random outfit and goes into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of wine. He scans over the house, cluttered with papers and leftover food. With Cas teaching now and Dean being promoted to the owner of the music shop, they haven't had much time to clean up. Dean sips on his wine and scoffs.

"Fuck it, it's my day off. Might as well clean," he finally says.

* * *

He wanders through the house and throws away any unneeded papers, cleans plates, straightens up furniture, and vacuums. After about three hours of fixing up the place, he walks up to his closet, opens it, and looks at the floor.

"Holy shit, maybe this is where we lost Charlie's cat."

Dean sorts through all of the junk on the floor and throws away any garbage. Loose clothing is tossed into a basket so that they can be run through laundry. Right when he's about to finish cleaning out the closet, a small wooden box catches his eye from the back corner against the wall. He pulls it out; the worn box has a few intricate designs on it, yet is too dusty to see the rest. Dean wipes off the dust and glances over the woodwork.

"_This was Dad's box,_" he thinks to himself. He opens it to find a small, brown leather journal. Dean flips through the pages rapidly, skimming through his father's notes.

"What the fuck?" he exclaims out loud.

Each page is chock full of information on some random creature or another. Vampires, werewolves, demons, and other exotic monsters. "_What is this shit?_" He reads on in the journal until the last page. Looking through it, his jaw drops. He immediately grabs his cell phone and dials Sam's number. It rings twice before Dean hears his brother's voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah?" Sam starts.

"You need to hear this," Dean speaks in a frantic, yet serious voice.

"Um… okay?"

"Okay, so I found Dad's journal in a little box, and—"

"You found his journal? Really?"

"Shut up, Sammy, and let me finish." Dean was getting a little irritated. "Anyways, his journal has all this information about crazy shit. Vampires, wraiths, wendigos, ghosts, even something called a shtriga. Apparently, he HUNTED these weirdos."

"Those are all supernatural monsters. But why would Dad be hunting them?"

"I don't know, but that explains why he was always gone."

Sam was silent on the other end of the phone. "Okay," he finally starts, "so what's the punchline."

"On the last page, he left a note. For us."

"Well? Read it."

Dean clears his throat and begins to read the note:

_**Boys,**_

_**If you're reading this, then I am on my way to kill the one thing I have been hunting for the longest time. You've no doubt looked through this journal and you have an idea of what it is. This thing… it's what killed your mother. And if I never came back, it's probably what killed me.**_

_**I know I haven't exactly been there for you. But please, listen. This thing is a demon. It won't stop until it is put down, and it has claimed the lives of many people around the country. If I'm dead, then I never found a way to stop it. I have one last favor to ask of you boys. Please, find this thing, and kill it. I took you boys hunting for game when you were younger for a reason.**_

_**What I know of this demon is that its name is Azazel. He has yellow eyes, and a storm will be summoned in the area of his next victim. That's all I ask of you. Please.**_

_**I love you both, and no matter where you are in life right now, I am, and always will be, so proud of you boys.**_

_**-Dad**_

Dean can hear Sam's breath staggering on the other end of the line. He can tell that his brother is crying.

"We need to kill this son of a bitch," Dean says in a firm voice.

"I… I can't," Sam replies weakly.

"Well why the hell not?"

"I can't leave Jess or schooling behind, Dean. It's not worth it."

"You heard what Dad wrote, we need to do this."

"I'm not going."

"Dammit, Sammy, I need you with me on this. You think I can tackle this alone? I'm going to be leaving Cas on his own for a bit so that I can do this, you can do the same with Jess!"

"And does Cas know you're going to be letting him play Home Alone?"

Dean freezes instantly. "_How the fuck am I gonna tell him?_"

Sam breaks the silence. "He doesn't know about this, does he?"

"I'll tell him," Dean says, hanging up the phone.

* * *

Cas comes home later that night. He finds Dean in the bedroom, laying on the bed and massaging his temples.

"Hey babe. Are you okay?" Cas asks.

Dean looks over at Cas, who is standing in the doorway. His trench coat is wet from the rain outside. Cas pulls his music from under the coat and sets them on the dresser. He walks over to the bed and sits next to Dean.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Cas asks, concerned.

"Nothing, I just…" Dean begins, but trails off.

"Tell me."

Dean looks away, afraid to meet eye contact. "I have to go," he says.

"Go… where?"

Dean hands Cas his father's journal, turned to the last page with the note. Cas quickly reads over it and looks up at Dean, eyes widened.

"Dean…" Cas says, "You can't do this."

"I have to, Cas. My dad wants me to."

"But what about what we have here?!" Cas yells. "You can't just leave it here!"

"I'm not gonna leave it permanently, Cas. I'll come back, I promise."

"And how the hell am I supposed to know that? Demons, vampires, a fucking shtriga, whatever the hell that is?! You could get killed!"

"Cas, this son of a bitch killed both of my parents. I need to find this thing and gank it myself."

"Well then I'm coming with you."

Dean looks over at Cas in surprise. "No," he says, "you need to stay here. You're a teacher, dammit, your students need you here."

Cas stares forward at what seems like nothing. "But…" he speaks in a monotone voice, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"Just do what you always do, babe. Teach, play music, socialize." Dean grabs Cas by the hand. Cas turns his head to gaze into Dean's eyes, a tear falling down his face. "I'll be just fine."

Cas wraps his arms around Dean tightly, sniffling weakly. "Please… stay here one more night."

"I already planned on it."

Dean leans in and kisses Cas gently. They make love slowly tonight, so that Cas can savor possibly their last moments together. Nothing rough, nothing dirty. Just slow, passionate sex, before falling asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Cas wakes up in the morning to find that Dean is gone. He had taken the Impala and taken off before Cas could say goodbye. He ambles somberly into the kitchen, opens the fridge, grabs the carton of orange juice, and closes the door. Upon closing it, he notices a note stuck to the fridge with a magnet. He pulls it off and reads it.

It's from Dean.

_**I'll be safe. I promise. I love you, forever and always.**_

Cas falls to his knees, dropping the orange juice and letting it spill across the kitchen. He clutches the note to his chest, curls together, and cries the most he has ever cried in the past three, beautiful years with Dean.


	9. Chapter 9

The lunch bell rings, dismissing the class. Cas watches silently as his students put away their instruments, gather into their own social groups, and wander out the door. Cas rubs his temples, the thought of Dean constantly on his mind. "_What if he doesn't come back? What if he finds someone else?_" His train of thought derails when he hears a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Cas calls out. The door opens, and his red-haired best friend walks in.

"How you doin, hun?" Charlie asks, coming up to Cas' desk.

"I don't know anymore," Cas replies slowly. "I haven't found out what to do without him.

"Castiel, he left two months ago, and you haven't done anything with your friends since. All you do is work. Wouldn't he have wanted you to have some fun?"

Cas sits in silence, staring at the carpeted floor. "_Yeah… he did,_" he thinks silently. "Lunch has started," he finally says, "so my day's over. I'm going to head home."

"Alright," Charlie responds quietly. "Come over whenever you want to, okay?"

"Okay," he replies. Charlie gets up and leaves the room while Cas puts on his trench coat and grabs his music folder.

* * *

He drives home in silence; no radio or iPod, and no rolled-down windows like he always did with Dean. Arriving home, he swears he sees the Impala in his driveway.

"No," he says to himself, "that's my imagination. He's not here." He unlocks the door to his home and walks inside. He throws his music folder onto the coffee table, but something catches his eye. A small note is under one of the coasters.

_**Bedroom.**_

Cas' eyes slowly move to the bedroom. A faint glow emits from underneath the closed door. "_Candlelight?_" He grabs a knife from the drawer in the kitchen and creeps quietly up to the bedroom door. He twists the knob and throws it open, his eyes shooting over to meet the glowing green eyes of the man sitting on his bed.

"…Dean?"

A gentle, loving smile spreads across the man's face.

"Hey, Cas," Dean says softly, standing up. Cas rushes over to him at high speed and hugs him tightly, nearly in tears of joy. They remain still and silent for a minute, taking in the moment. Cas places a hand on Dean's cheek to make sure he's actually real before kissing his lips gingerly.

"What are you doing here?" Cas asks.

"I was hunting down something called a vetala a few towns over. I wanted to stop in and say hello."

Cas nearly brightens the room with his smile. "Did you kill that Azazel thing yet?"

Dean looks away in shame. "No…" he says, "but I'm close." Cas looks away sadly. "But hey," Dean continues, "it's okay. I've saved about fifty people from dying a weird, fucked up death since I left. And I've alive. I promised you I would be okay, baby."

Cas looks back over at Dean, who cracks his soft, but goofy little smile. "I'm glad you're okay, Dean," he says to him, "but I just…"

"Thought I found someone else?"

Cas tenses up and swallows the hard lump in his throat. He slowly nods. Dean gets up and kneels in front of Cas, grabbing his hands.

"Castiel," he begins, "I'm in love with you. I've been with girls in the past, one of them for three years in high school, but never once have I felt this way about anyone. You're what I think about every morning when I wake up in some shitty hotel halfway across the country from you, and you're what's on my mind every night before I sleep. Sometimes, I even listen to classical music in the car for you. You could put anyone in front of me, even freaking Beyoncé, and I will still choose you over them."

A single tear falls from Cas's face onto Dean's hand. "I love you, Dean. More than anything."

"I love you, too," Dean replies, closing in the distance between them and kissing him softly. Cas leans back onto the bed and pulls Dean with him, one hand running through Dean's hair and the other one ghosting over his back. Dean kisses Cas on the neck while letting his hands roam along Cas' body, which Dean can feel shudder in pleasure. Cas exhales deeply and lifts Dean's shirt over his head.

"You want to do this now?" Dean asks. "I just got home."

"Shut up and kiss me," Cas replies in a husky voice.

Dean obeys instantly, kissing him hard. Their tongues dance around each other as Dean unbuttons Cas' shirt and slides it off of him. Dean gets up and slides Cas' pants and boxers down, smiling at Cas' already hard member. He wraps his lips around the tip and pushes it deep into his mouth, caressing it with his tongue at the same time. Cas moans loudly and plays with Dean's hair, gripping the sheets with his free hand. Dean bobs his head up and down along the shaft, undoing his own zipper to jerk himself off and emitting muffled moans.

"Dean, baby," Cas pants, strained from pleasure, "fuck me."

Dean releases Cas' cock from his mouth and moves upward to kiss his neck, massaging Cas' member.

"On your knees," he whispers into Cas' ear. Cas obeys and turns around, placing his knees on the ground and leaning over the bed. Dean opens the nightstand drawer and pulls out the lube, applying some to his rock-hard dick. He inserts himself into Cas' ass slowly, listening to Cas cry out in pleasure. He leans over Cas and wraps one arm around his chest, his mouth next to his ear as he penetrates deeply into him. He thrusts slowly into Cas and kisses his neck at the same time.

"Oh, Dean," Cas moans loudly as he feels Dean's throbbing cock rub up against his prostate. Dean thrusts himself in harder.

"Yeah, you like that?" Dean whispers roughly into Cas' ear. Cas nods hypnotically and moans louder. Dean reaches under him and grabs Cas' dick to jack it off, plowing into him even harder. "Come on, say my name."

"Dean…" Cas says almost trancelike.

"Louder," Dean commands. He can feel himself tensing up. He's almost ready.

"Dean!" Cas shouts in a loud moan.

Dean digs into Cas' chest with his nails, jerking him faster. "Louder!"

"DEAN!" Cas screams as he cums out onto the floor. Dean pounds harder than ever, his thighs clapping against Cas' ass.

"Come on, one more time!" Dean shouts out, holding himself from exploding.

"DEAN!" Cas yells at the top of his lungs in pleasure. Dean bursts his load inside of Cas, releasing a long and loud moan. He feels his body go limp on top of Cas. Cas' head hangs down as he tries to catch his breath. Dean pants and lifts Cas' head up to kiss him.

"I missed this," Cas tells him.

"I missed you," Dean replies. "I love you, Castiel Novak."

"I love you too, Dean Winchester."

They climb into bed under the sheets, the room dimly illuminated by the candles. They don't bother to put their clothes on. Dean wraps his arms around Cas and cuddles close to him.

"I have to leave again tomorrow, Cas," he says softly to him. "I still have things to do."

"Please be safe," Cas asks of him.

"I will," Dean assures. Cas wants to reply with something, anything, but he finds himself dozing off into a nap.

* * *

They sleep through the rest of the day, awakening at 3am. Dean gets up to take a shower while Cas fixes them something to eat (they did just miss both lunch and dinner).

"Spaghetti sounds nice," Cas says to himself. He prepares the meal, and is almost done when Dean comes out of the shower.

"Smells good," he tells Cas. Cas responds with a smile as he piles the noodles onto two plates and brings them to the table.

"What time do you have to leave?" Cas asks.

Dean twirls his fork around in the spaghetti. "Sometime soon," he replies, "but I was thinking about watching a movie with you first." He smiles softly at Cas, who is staring back with the most loving stare one person could ever have. His bright blue eyes pierce into Dean's deep green eyes.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"I'm in love with you too."

* * *

Days later, Cas is teaching at the high school with the enthusiasm he had before Dean left the first time. The mood in the room is much lighter and happier now. His students seem to feel it too, because they seem more eager to work. In the middle of conducting the Harry Potter theme, Cas hears his cell phone ring.

"Fermata on rest," he tells his class. He walks over to his desk and looks at his phone. Unknown number. He presses the green button and holds it up to his ear.

"Hello?" he asks.

"Yes, may I speak with Castiel Novak?"

"This is him. How may I help you?"

"This is the Cleveland General Hospital. It says here that you are listed as an emergency contact for Dean Winchester."

Cas freezes instantly. He puts the phone against his other ear. "What happened..?" he finally asks.

"To our knowledge, Dean was hit by a car."


	10. Chapter 10

The tires on Cas' car scream as he tears out of the parking lot, leaving the class behind. He opens his GPS, enters in the name of the hospital, and speeds down the highway to Cleveland. The drive would normally take three hours; Cas makes it in one. He runs into the hospital and rushes up to the front desk. The woman, identified as Tessa by her name tag, looks up at Cas.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" she asks him.

"I'm here to see Dean Winchester," Cas responds, low on breath.

"Name?"

"Castiel Novak."

Tessa pulls out a file with Dean's name on it and skims over it. "Yes," she says, "you're listed as an emergency contact. Fourth floor, room 412."

"Thank you," Cas tells her before running down the hallway to the elevator. He takes it up to the fourth floor.

"406, 408, 410… 412!"

He opens the door to see Dean laying on the bed, seemingly unconscious. The heart-rate monitor is the only noise in the room, though Cas is glad to hear it in a steady pulse. He walks over to the bed, tears welling in his eyes, and sits down in a chair next to Dean, grabbing his hand.

"I told you to be safe…" Cas whispers. He hears footsteps behind him and turns around to see a female doctor. Her red hair is tied up in a ponytail.

"You must be Castiel," the doctor says, reaching her hand out to him. "I'm Dr. Milton." Cas shakes her hand and looks back at Dean.

"What's wrong with him?" he asks, never looking away from his love.

"Three broken ribs, fracture in his left arm. He's been having difficulty breathing; we think a rib may have punctured a lung. We're waiting on x-ray results." Dr. Milton looks at Cas. "Where does he live?" she asks him.

"He lives with me in Columbus. He left on a business trip three days ago."

"Are you his roommate?"

Cas tenses up. "He's… my boyfriend. Of about three and a half years."

Dr. Milton straightens out, a look of surprise on her face. "Well, Castiel," she begins, "I wish to let you know that this hospital is very accepting to those under the LGBT category. You have no worry; we will treat him like any other patient."

Cas looks up at her, holding tears back. "Thank you," he says. Dr. Milton nods and takes her leave. Cas turns back to Dean and grabs his hand.

"You always looked so peaceful when you were sleeping," he says to Dean, unknowing if he can hear him. "So calm… so beautiful. I knew something like this was going to happen. I should have gone with you. They say it was a car accident, but I'm not stupid. Something attacked you… Dean, please pull through this. If you can hear me, please. I love you. Forever and always…" Cas closes his eyes, a few stray tears falling into his lap.

"I… love you too… Cas…" Dean replies weakly. Cas' eyes shoot open to see Dean looking over at him, barely keeping awake.

"Dean… You're gonna be okay, I promise."

"I… don't know…"

"You will. And when you get out of here, you're coming home with me. Okay?"

Dean stares forward at the wall. "Okay…" he says reluctantly. "Stay here… with me… please?"

Cas looks into Dean's green eyes. They no longer glow a bright green; a dull, olive color glosses over them now.

"Of course."

Later that day, Cas calls into work to take off a few days. He never leaves Dean's side except to take bathroom breaks. The nurse, Sarah, brings in food for the both of them when she comes to check up on Dean. Soon enough, Dr. Milton returns in.

"I have good news and bad news," she tells the boys.

"Shit," Dean says weakly, coughing slightly. "What's first?"

"The bad, of course. Looking at the x-rays, we have confirmed that a rib punctured your left lung. We will have to perform surgery, which has been scheduled to occur in one hour." Cas frowns and glances over at Dean.

"And the good?" Dean asks.

"The good news is, it didn't go in too deep. It won't take long to fix up and heal. Also, you're an incredibly lucky man. If the rib would have struck an inch more to the right, it would have pierced your heart and you would have been dead before you got here."

Both Dean and Cas smile like idiots. "That's wonderful," Cas exclaims. "Thank you."

Dr. Milton smiles back. "Dean will have to remain here for about two days after surgery before you are able to take him home."

"Okay," they both respond simultaneously.

Dean's surgery goes well and they are able to leave two days later. The car ride back is painful for Dean, but he bears through it. When they get back to the house, Cas notices Dean adjust something in the waist of his pants.

"What's that?" Cas asks.

"Oh, this?" Dean replies, pulling out a gun. It looks old, almost Western, with a long barrel and rotating clip. A pentagram is carved into the handle. "This is the Colt. Found it a day before I got slammed. It can kill just about anything supernatural, so I'm gonna use it to kill that son of a bitch."

"He's the one that did this to you, didn't he?"

Dean looks over at Cas, a shameful look in his eyes. "Yeah…" he says quietly.

"Hopefully you get him," Cas replies with a smile. Dean flashes a smile back and they head inside the house. "I'm gonna go take a shower, okay?"

"Okay, baby," Dean responds, watching as Cas disappears into the bedroom. He walks over to the kitchen and grabs an apple from the fridge. He hears the shower turn on as he bites into the apple. After finishing the apple, he walks into the bedroom and lays on the bed, his eyes closed.

Suddenly, something falls on Dean's face. He wipes it off and opens his eyes to look at his hand.

Blood.

He looks up at the ceiling.

"CAS!"


	11. Chapter 11

Cas' body is held in a twisted position against the ceiling by an invisible force. His stomach is covered in blood, and he cannot utter a word. He grunts in a struggle to speak, but can do nothing.

"Let him go!" Dean shouts in the empty room, standing up in defense.

"No."

The response sends shivers down Dean's spine. No one else was in the room. He blinks, and a man appears, standing there. His eyes are bright yellow, sticking out in the dark room.

"Azazel," Dean growls, his voice filled with hate. "You fucking bastard, let him go!"

"Dean, don't you listen? I said no. Then again, you ARE a Winchester. You never do listen, and neither did your parents."

Dean's fist flies at Azazel, but misses. Dean turns around in confusion to see the demon before he telekinetically throws Dean at the wall. Dean yells in pain; he hasn't fully recovered yet from his last encounter with Azazel. He struggles to get up and holds himself against the wall.

"I want you to watch," Azazel says in a haunting voice, "as I burn your little whore alive."

"Like hell you will!" Dean shouts, pulling the Colt from his belt. He fires a shot at behind Azazel, who looks at Dean in surprise.

"Where did you get such a toy?" Azazel asks, walking towards Dean. Dean keeps the gun fixed on the demon's forehead.

"None of your damn business. Now, let him go, and I'll think about sparing your life."

"The doggy has teeth now, does he? No matter. You're both going to die either way. I can already see it. Are you sure I'll be the only thing you shoot with that?"

"Shut the fuck up and let him go!" Dean screams. Azazel lifts up his hand, ready to launch Dean across the room, but Dean reacts fast enough and pulls the trigger, a bullet going through the demon's forehead. An electrical pulse surge's through Azazel's vessel as he falls to the ground. Dean lowers the gun, but Azazel isn't done yet.

"See ya," the demon says as he uses the last of his life to snap his fingers before dying. Dean looks up to see Cas explode in flames.

"DEAN!" Cas yells as the fire engulfs his body. Dean stands frozen in shock. He loses all sense of reality, all motivation of life, and blacks out.

When Dean comes to, he is outside of the burning house. Fire truck sirens are sounding in the distance. Dean looks over at the rising inferno that was once his home, and instantly, reality kicks back into him.

"NO!" he screams into the night, falling to his knees. He kneels over on the ground and buries his face into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "_Everything… is gone._"

* * *

The funeral is three days later. Only a few attended. Dean, Sam, Jess, Charlie, Ruby, and two of Cas' favored students stood around the plot, staring at a coffin. There was, however, no body to bury. Sam had suggested that Cas had a proper funeral, and Dean had agreed. Ruby, tears flowing down her face, holds Charlie, who is hysterically crying. Sam and Jess shed a few tears, and the two students bow their heads. Dean stands there silently, staring at the coffin. He can't even look at the love of his life in death.

"Open the coffin," Dean finally tells the priest.

"I'm sorry?" the priest replies.

"I said open the coffin. I'll be back." Dean turns and walks over to the Impala. He opens the passenger door and picks up Cas' violin from the seat. He had buckled it in to keep it safe. He carries it over to the plot where everyone stands, looking into the open coffin. Upon sight of the violin, Ruby breaks down into uncontrolled sobs with Charlie. The students start to cry as well. Dean walks up to the coffin and places the violin inside.

"He can be put to rest now," Dean says weakly. After the coffin is lowered into the ground and buried, everyone leaves except Dean and Sam. Jess goes to wait in the car. Dean kneels over the gravestone and places the rose from his tux on the fresh soil.

"I promised you I would be okay," Dean whispers, "and I'm not."

"Do you want to come home with us tonight?" Sam asks somberly, hurt by the sight of his broken brother. "We have an extra room for you…"

"I'm fine," Dean says. "I have a hotel room booked for tonight. I'll come when I can."

"Okay. I'll let you be," Sam replies and walks towards his car. They drive away, leaving Dean at Cas' grave.

"I love you, forever and always."

* * *

Dean returns to the hotel that night, a nearly-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand. He stumbles over onto the bed and messily pulls a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket. He writes for about ten minutes while hysterically crying, repeating Cas' name over and over. He sets the note on the nightstand and pulls the Colt from his belt. He remember's Azazel's words from three days ago:

"_You're both going to die either way. I can already see it. Are you sure I'll be the only thing you shoot with that?_"

Dean lifts the gun up and presses the end of the barrel into the side of his head. The steel is cold against his skin. Dean's face contorts in pain as another tear falls from his face.

"I'm sorry, Castiel. I love you."

A shot echoes throughout the hotel.

* * *

_**A/N: I almost feel really bad about doing this to you guys... Almost. The first fic I ever read was depressing towards the end (which happened to be Twist and Shout... ouch), so I felt the first one I wrote should have been the same way. Sorry for breaking your hearts!**_


	12. Epilogue

Sam and Jess stand over another gravestone. The second one in days. Except this time, Sam can't cry. He isn't standing over the love of his brother's life this time.

He's standing over his brother.

Jess grabs Sam's hand and buries her face into his shoulder. Sam stands there, staring at the headstone. He wants to cry, he wants to scream, but he can't. It's as if there is no more emotion. The last of his family is dead now, except for Jess.

Sam doesn't say a word the entire day. They return to their home in Dublin, Ohio. An hour later, a knock sounds on the door. Sam gets up and answers it.

"Charlie?"

Charlie stands there and sighs before handing a piece of paper to him. It is spotted with blood, and Sam recognizes Dean's handwriting on it.

"What is this?" he asks her.

"Dean's suicide note," she replies. "Your name is in it. I thought you should read it. I should get going now." She turns around in a robotic way without another word and walks to her car. Sam takes the note over to the kitchen table. He cries harder than ever upon reading the blood-stained paper:

_**I have no idea who is going to read this. But I need to say a few things.**_

_**These past three days, I tried to live. Believe me, I did. But Cas just won't stop going through my mind. I watched him as he was covered in flames, I heard him scream my name. And I can't live with that picture in my mind.**_

_**Sammy, I am so proud of you. You've grown up to become a fine lawyer, and I'm so happy for you and Jess. I want you to keep living your life the way it is, without me. You'll be fine, I know it. Your kids may not have an uncle to look up to, but they'll have you, and that's all they need.**_

_**Ruby and Charlie, thank you so much for the fun times. I'm sorry we lost your cat, and even though that was forever ago I still feel bad for it. When I look back on our mini parties and get-togethers, I picture us all happy. All four of us. But with three… it no longer feels right. I hope you can manage with two.**_

_**Castiel, I'm in love with you. I realize now that I have been ever since I laid eyes on you. Meeting you was the greatest thing to happen to me in my shitty excuse of a life. When I was hunting, I was never once unfaithful to you. And I know you were the same for me. I can't even begin to describe the feelings I have for you. And I still have them, even in death.**_

_**I wonder what's for dinner tonight, baby. I'm coming home to you to find out.**_

_**-Dean**_

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading! Reviews and comments would be wonderful! I have decided to write another Destiel fic (don't worry, it won't be as sad as this), so your feedback would be wonderful on what I did well and poorly so that it may influence my new fic. I am currently on Chapter Four of it right now and not yet close to being done. Again, thank you all!**_


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